


Saeb

by Selah



Series: The Sun, the Moon, and Other Stars [5]
Category: Jrock, exist†trace
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Barebacking, F/M, Intersex Characters, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Polyamory, Season of Kink 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2017-08-17
Packaged: 2018-12-16 08:47:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11825214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selah/pseuds/Selah
Summary: She was looking for someone who could offer her the whole package. Jin was almost positive that someone could never be him.





	Saeb

**Author's Note:**

> SMOS #3.2. Saeb = difficult
> 
> Set ~4 years before Fatima/Masun, so we'll call it summer of 2009, making Jyou 29, Ruka 31, and Jin 22.

Jin grabbed his phone, unlocked it ... then chickened out and put it down again. He was being ridiculous, but he couldn't seem to help it. Just because he thought the date had gone well, that didn't mean that she felt the same. It wasn't like she had even been involved in setting it up, that had all been her husband's doing, after finding Jin's profile through an online dating service. What if she thought he was a hopeless babbling moron? It wouldn't be the first time. What if she had only gone to appease her husband and had no intention of anything else? Just because the date had lasted for four hours....

“Oh for the love of all the gods, give me that,” his brother snapped, grabbing Jin's phone right out of his hands.

“W-what are you doing?!” he squeaked, trying to grab back his phone without success.

“You had a date last night, right? Is her name even in your phone or do I need to go to your online profile?”

“Give me that,” he grumbled, grabbing back his phone at last. “Aren't you supposed to be shopping for your wife right now?”

“Fine, fine, but you better call her, ani. I'll know if you don't!”

Ignoring his brother's half-formed threat, he saw him out, then threw himself down onto the couch. Like his brother would find out anyway, he could hardly find his way to the store most days. Besides, omegas calling alphas wasn't the natural order of the world, he was better off waiting. He certainly wasn't going to refresh his profile page again in hopes of a new message from her. He wasn't.

~*~*~

Jyou sat in their penthouse, toying with her own phone, trying to decide how she felt. She had gone into the date mildly annoyed with her husband and expecting nothing. What she had gotten from it was ... something. As much as she didn't want to even consider it, she and Jin had really connected on some level. It wasn't a soulmate connection, nothing like what she felt with Ruka from the day they had met, but it was ... something. Jin was cute, funny, presented like an airhead, but every once in awhile he would slip and a shrewd mind would appear. And then he would crack a joke and try to write himself off as nothing again.

Some would no doubt turn their noses up at Jin's working class roots, question his suitability as an ex-host, but he was doing legitimate modeling work now. With her connections, he could get even more and better contracts. _If_ she was willing to take that risk on him.

_Was_ she willing to do that? One four-hour long date wasn't really enough for her to be able to say for sure. Not to mention the fact that the whole setup felt a bit ... dishonest?

“My queen,” Ruka murmured, catching her from across the back of the couch. “Lost in thought?”

“A little,” she confessed, twisting around to frown up at her soulmate and husband. “Why are you doing all this?”

“I know how much you wanted us to have a family, baby,” Ruka said softly, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “I couldn't forgive myself if that desire ended up hurting you. Or worse.”

“Okay, but why find _me_ an omega?” she asked, still frowning a little. “And a male one at that.”

“I thought that was what you would like?” he offered, his voice wavering a little in his uncertainty. “I ... I'm sorry, should I have been looking for something else?”

“What? No, I ... that's not what I meant, love,” she sighed, shaking her head. “Ruka, I love you. I'm _happy_ with you. But last night ... I don't know what you told that boy, but it kinda felt like you had picked him out as some sort of ... boyfriend.”

“I want you to be able to have the children you've always wanted. Jin-kun's in no position to be a father to the children he could bear you, but I am.” 

“So let me get this straight,” she muttered, pulling away from Ruka as her anger threatened to get the better of her. “Your plan was to find a vulnerable omega I could impregnate and then ... what? Use your alpha status to take that child away from its bearer? Buy the child off of him with words about his unsuitability and the better life his child would have with us? Or maybe wait a few months before quietly paying to make him disappear?!”

“What? Jyou! I can't believe you ... of course not!” Ruka protested, his scent a riot of hurt and anger. “This isn't some random whim, you know. I've been researching our options ever since the first miscarriage. Out of all of them, an omega that _you_ claim, that _you_ mate, is the option that gives _you_ the most control. Because I love _you_ , I want our children to be _yours_ , even if they can't biologically be mine. I've even been looking into townhouses and condos that have mother-in-law suites included so your omega could live with us while still being somewhat independent!”

Jyou dropped back down onto the couch, startled into silence. It was almost more than she could comprehend. When...? And how? And _why_??

“You ... you did all that ... for me?”

Ruka circled the couch to kneel before her, cupping her hands in his. All anger was gone from him now, only love and worry remained.

“Jyou, my darling, my queen, I love you. I'm sorry I did all this behind your back, but the doctors kept saying the less you were stressed, the better the chances of everything finally working out for us. And I wanted so much for things to work out for us. I wanted so much for it all to have been a waste of my time.”

The pain of it hit her again as he leaned into her, his head resting in her lap. For years now they had been trying to have a family, going from one doctor to the next. The finest specialists in all of Japan, test after useless test, the answer always that they just needed to keep being patient. Until this most recent pregnancy, lost at twenty-one weeks, and Jyou's hospitalization when things went badly wrong.

“I won't risk you again, love, not when there's another way.”

“Ruka, I have you already, why would I bond an omega?”

“I can show you the legal reasons, but trust me, it's the best way to protect everyone, child included.”

Jyou had always been willing to do anything for Ruka's sake, to make her beloved happy, but it had never occurred to her that 'anything' might include this. And it still felt incredibly awkward to even be considering it. She loved Ruka, she didn't want anyone else. But it was also true that she wanted a family. And that her doctor insisted she not attempt any further pregnancies herself. But even still....

“You were out pretty late last night,” Ruka said after a moment, rocking back to grin up at her. “Does that mean I made a good choice?”

“Oh shut up. I'm still annoyed with you for having pretended to be me to that boy!”

“Oh so you _do_ like him, hmm? So I don't have to make another profile on that other site yet?”

“Kano Satoru,” she grumbled, shoving her mate across the room, “don't you fucking _dare_!”

Laughing, Ruka picked himself up, dusted himself off, and slipped off into their kitchen. Maybe she would do some searching of her own. Ruka would be impossible to live with if she just _accepted_ his pick, this Akinishi Jin. Even if they _did_ have great chemistry. But she had never been the passive one in this relationship and she certainly wasn't going to start now.

~*~*~

Jin spent two weeks alternately working his butt off at the club in order to avoid thinking ... and driving himself crazy wondering why he hadn't heard back from Jyou yet. The only possible conclusion was that he had made _such_ a horrible impression that she was trying to forget she had ever met him. He could feel a piece of himself breaking - he'd really tried his best, dammit - but what could he do?

Sighing, he clicked open an email from his agent. Another less that subtle suggestion that Jin could make a lot more money if he was willing to do porn. Jin had been turning him down for weeks, wary of getting sucked into something that could ruin his prospects for the future. Except he wasn't sure anymore that he even really had any. He was making good enough money with his bartending, it wasn't like he was at risk of starving or anything, but having a little more every month wouldn't be so bad either. Something he could turn into a nest egg for the future? Maybe.... Sighing, he looked over his agent's latest suggestions again. He wasn't getting any younger, if he was going to do this at all, maybe now was the time.

He was still debating with himself when a new message came in.

**:: She still hasn't called you, has she?**

Ruka. As much as a part of him wanted to just ignore it, he knew he wouldn't. Couldn't. Couldn't take the chance of offending the guy and ruining his own life because an alpha got the wrong idea.

**:: Nope. Guess I wasn't as good a match as you thought.**

**:: Don't sell yourself short.**

The message included an address and a time, and the obvious implication that he be there. It was probably useless, but he still threw himself into the shower. He barely had the time to clean himself up if he was going to make it on time. Hopefully, it would be good enough.

By the time he reached the small café, Jin felt like he was nothing but a pile of nerves, his stomach tied in a hundred knots. That didn't get the least bit better for spotting Jyou at one of the outside tables, giving her phone repeated annoyed looks. Worse, there was another alpha couple at the table with her. He felt turned to stone, unable to move forward or turn away. A part of him wanted the sidewalk to just open up and swallow him whole. He was terrified she would look up and see him standing there, like an idiot, and yet at the same time he wanted it. After all, it wasn't like he could just walk up and join their table, not like this.

“Sir? Table for one or are you meeting someone? I'm afraid the garden tables are all –.”

“Akanishi?”

He flinched, guilt hitting him like a punch to the gut. This was a disaster, she'd noticed him, he might as well just die now, save everyone the embarrassment. Especially when he could hear her muttering about killing him. Why had he even bothered coming here in the first place???

“It's all right, miss, he's with us,” Jyou said and when had she even gotten up, never mind coming over to take his elbow. He could scent Jyou's annoyance, could even guess at the questions she wasn't asking, but he was helpless to do anything but go along with her, silently following in her wake - ok, at her side - to the table where the other couple still sat. The male alpha looked quite intimidating in his tailored suit and sunglasses, but the woman beside him, with her wicked-looking array of lip piercings and severe gothic-styled dress, was downright terrifying. Even her scent was intimidating, all iron and frozen pines in the dead of winter. Jin bit his lip, dropping his eyes to his feet as he tried to make himself small and submissive like a good little omega boy. Things were already off to a bad enough start, he didn't want to make things even worse by calling more unnecessary attention to himself. He never should have come.

“I'm guessing this is Rupon's ham-handed way of saying he has unavoidable work elsewhere,” Jyou said with a sigh, pulling out the last chair. Jin hesitated, glancing at her from under his lashes. Was he supposed to sit down _now_ or wait to be introduced first or....

Her hand rested on his back and it felt like a shot of current right through his spine, her alpha scent, hay and summer and chilled wines, tingling in his nose as she moved closer.

“Gods, you're wound tighter'n a watch. Relax. Akanishi-kun, my friend Hayashi Naoto and her husband, Yoshiki-dono. This is Akanishi Jin, my husband's favorite,” Jyou said, finally using her hand to nudge him into the chair.

“Hmm, didn't think Ruka-kun was the type,” Yoshiki commented with a droll smile.

“Favorite _for me_ ,” Jyou clarified as she reclaimed her own seat, rolling her eyes, “Obviously, since he keeps setting us up.

Again the burning urge for the earth to open up and swallow him whole. Just what kind of alpha was Jyou married to anyway?? And her friends, who were so obviously casually okay with it? And why was she making it sound like this had happened more than twice? His head was starting to hurt from all the questions swirling around in it.

“Well, you have always had a preference for pretty boys,” Naoto said and Jin could feel his cheeks burning even more under her intense gaze. Maybe that's all this was, a pretty face found for a casual fling?

The arrival of a waiter asking for their order was almost enough to send Jin hyperventilating into another panic attack. He had never been to this place before, he had no idea what was on their menu. He couldn't exactly just grab one from the stack of them at Yoshiki's elbow and wasn't sure he could really afford anything here anyway. Listening to the alphas order wasn't any help, either, and when the beta waiter finally turned to him, he didn't know what to say.

“Um, just coffee, thank you. And a glass of ice water with a slice of lemon, please,” he said softly. Surely that little he could afford on his own.

“Why are all models so ridiculous about food?” Jyou asked with a light laugh. “He'll have the chicken Caesar salad with sourdough garlic toast to go with that coffee.”

The waiter nodded and smiled, more of a smirk really. So someone had pointed out that they were a table of three alphas and one omega? Jin wanted to die. Now even the waiter thought he was Jyou's boy toy. Considering she had already pretty well made it clear that she didn't really want him....

“A model, hmm? Which agency are you with?” Yoshiki asked, keen interest sparkling in his scent.

“Oh, um, just a small one, Kyoudai CREW. It's not something I do all the time, it's probably more accurate to say I'm a bartender who models on the side, really.”

“I don't think I've worked with that agency before, don't let me go without your contact info,” the blond said with a thoughtful hum. He ... wasn't even sure what that was supposed to mean. 

“Yoshiki-dono is owner and designer of Yoshikimono,” Jyou said in explanation. “Still looking to debut with a Spring/Summer collection?”

“Yes, next season, now that I think we might just have all the kinks worked out of production.”

“Careful or you'll jinx yourself,” Jyou teased. Jin remembered her profile saying she was a partner in an import/export company, was that the connection? Jyou had said Naoto was her friend, but he wondered if there wasn't more to it than that. Not that it mattered. Jin focused on making himself small, silent and invisible, lest he embarrass Jyou in front of her friends. He could feel her eyes on him, but the other two either didn't notice or didn't care. Yoshiki in particular seemed to have no problem at all carrying on the bulk of the conversation over the course of the meal.

“Ah, is that the time?” Yoshiki exclaimed just as a dessert menu was being offered to Naoto. “Do forgive me, dears, but business calls. Akanishi-san, I don't suppose you have a business card on you? I really must be going, I'm afraid.”

“Oh, um....” Getting up a bit awkwardly, he managed to find a couple extra cards in his wallet, handing one over with a properly submissive bow. Thanking him, Yoshiki turned to give each of the women a fond but chaste kiss before leaving.

“And of course he walks off without paying his share,” Naoto said with a laugh, setting the dessert menu on the table. “Ah, as much as I'd love to stay, I should probably get back to the office before someone notices we're both gone. Take as long as you like, ne, but bring me back a slice of cheesecake, okay?”

“No promises, but maybe~”

Jin watched as Naoto laughed and then produced enough yen to make him break out in a small sweat at the thought of how he was going to pay his own share, too worried to even react when she ruffled his hair as she left the table. And then Jyou's hand landed on his thigh, a solid anchor in a miasma of fear and worry.

“Breathe, Jin-kun,” Jyou said softly. “Rupon dragged you into this and I'm the one who insisted you eat. I'll cover it, don't worry about it.”

A sigh of relief and he almost forgot himself, almost collapsed against her. Almost did it anyway when she started rubbing his thigh gently.

“I imagine Rupon thinks I've been terribly unfair to you,” she said, little more than a murmur. “The truth is I was afraid you would get the wrong idea. All of this, even just the thought of it ... it's not something I'd considered even once in the last ten years. I know my husband, I know he thinks he's already found the best possible match for me, but ... I needed to find that out for myself. You understand?”

“Of course,” he mumbled, even though he wasn't sure he did. Or why she was even bothering to explain. She didn't want him and that was fine. If her husband tried this again, he would just ignore it, save them both the indignity.

“Is that what your soulmate thinks?” she asked, her voice suddenly brittle with an anger he didn't understand. “That you aren't worth the trouble? Why, because you're omega?”

Jin couldn't seem to think of a single word for that for a long moment. How did she ... where had she gotten _that_ idea?? And the anger in her, as if she were personally offended at the idea of someone thinking him too much bother just because of his designation.

“I don't ... I haven't seen or heard from her since I was six. I don't know what she thinks. Pretty sure she doesn't think about me at all at this point.”

The last time he had looked her up, almost four years ago now, she had just gotten her law degree from Harvard. Reconnecting with her younger soulmate had obviously not been on her mind then or since. He tried to tell himself he was fine with that. It didn't always work.

A slice of cheesecake appeared in front of him and he startled, having apparently missed it even being ordered. He hesitated, tempted to decline, but who could say when he might have a chance like this again.

“Anyway, the point I was trying to make ... I couldn't just let Rupon be right so easily. He gets smug when he's right and something like this ... there'd be no living with him if I just let him be right. The worse part is ... I think he might have been right all along.”

“I ... what?”

“I've been on ... more than a couple dates with other omegas since ours and none of them could compare. None of them offered that spark, that connection like what he have. Certainly none of them held my attention the way you did. Which is annoying because, like I said, there's going to be no living with him now, so I'm going to have to count on you to help me shut him up when he gets too full of himself, okay?”

Jin could only sit back and gape at her as long seconds ticked by. There was no what he had heard that right, just no way.

“But you....”

“I know.”

“Two weeks!”

“I know.”

“I thought for sure you weren't interested!”

“I'm sorry,” she said, bowing her head. “And if you aren't interested anymore or have found someone else, then this will be the last you see of me, at least outside possible professional events, I promise. I ... I'm sorry, you're right, I should have handled this better.”

Jin bit his lip, determined not to give in to the tears he could feel threatening. How anyone, even an alpha, could be so thoughtlessly cruel....

“There isn't anyone else,” he managed after a moment that felt like an eternity, his voice sounding coarse even in his own ears. Hands cupped his face, lips brushed his forehead, and then she was sitting back, watching him intently, though her hand still touched his.

“How can I make this up to you?” she asked, but he really didn't know what to say. To go from such absolute certainty in her disinterest to this was ... he didn't have the words. For that matter, he wasn't even sure what this was. A proposition? An invitation? Something more? Something less? It sounded serious, but beyond that he didn't know what to think anymore. He really was at a complete loss.

“Maybe we should wrap this up and continue somewhere ... more private?”

Jin felt almost mechanical as he nodded, going along with her mostly because he didn't know what else to do. Besides, if there was still even the slightest chance of Jyou wanting any part of him, he had to take it. What other choice was there? She could make his life everything he'd ever dreamed. Only an idiot walked away from that. Despite what people liked to think, Akanishi Jin wasn't that much of an idiot.

~*~*~

Jyou could almost taste Jin's unease in the air as he followed her from the café to the small corporate apartment her company kept for visiting business guests. A modern efficiency unit that no one was using that week, making it far more neutral than a hotel room or the penthouse she shared with Ruka. Although as much as she hated to admit it, watching the omega glancing around, a part of her was seriously tempted to shove him into a wall and take him right now, wipe those fears out of his scent and eyes. But that was her alpha side talking and she was better than such base instinct.

“So.....”

“Did you...,” Jin started, nervously licking his lips. Another twitch of unbecoming desire, but Jyou shoved it aside. They were supposed to be talking.

“Can I get you something to drink? I know we keep bottled water, juice, and cold tea in the fridge, though I could brew coffee, too, if you'd rather that with your cheesecake?”

“Oh, um, water is fine,” he said, finally moving into the sitting area. “So this is....”

“Company property, but we don't have any visitors this week. I thought it would be nice to go somewhere quiet, yeah?” she said, moving through the small kitchenette to get their drinks and forks. Jin's scent shifted again, the unease fading a bit. Though perhaps she could indeed understand why he was still feeling nervous, but there was something else. Something she had missed before for being outside with him. It certainly explained the flutters in his moods. And the loudness of her own alpha instincts. Dammit.

“How often do you have heats?” she asked softly, settling on the floor across the small lounge from him.

“Every six months like clockwork for the last four years. Guess I got lucky having my cycle even out so quickly. Not that ... not that I've let myself go through one yet. I get my next suppressant shot on Wednesday,” he said, a tinge of red appearing on his cheeks.

“Ah, well, then I suppose it's too soon to ask if you'd consider having your heat with me,” she asked with a playful grin. That had definitely been a hormonal response on her part. Jyou had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at the way Jin almost self-immolated in embarrassment. Adorable. Dammit, the more she saw of him, the more convinced she was that Ruka was right, Jin was the perfect match for her. Now she just had to convince _him_ of that. And deal with Ruka. One thing at a time, though.

“I mean, this soon, I'd completely understand if you wanted to use birth control,” she said casually, tucking a bit of her own hair behind her ear. “I know I said before that Rupon and I were doing this to have kids, but we've discussed it and even as my mated omega, it would ultimately be your choice when to conceive.”

“W-wait ... wait.... Mated? As in...?”

“As in bitten, yes,” she said with a small nod, reaching across the table to rest a hand on top of his once more. “I'm not looking for a surrogate or a disposable womb, Jin-kun. I'm sure you don't really feel ready to be a parent and that's fine. Between Rupon, myself, and the nanny we'd hire, there would be no need, unless it was what you wanted. But any child you bore would still be yours, we wouldn't take that away from you.”

“I ... this ...this isn't what I'd thought....”

The obvious shock was a little bit surprising, but maybe, in hindsight, it shouldn't have been. She hadn't exactly explained things this way to him the last time, after all. Hard enough to explain why she, a married alpha, would even be looking at dating an omega, bringing up mating on a first date was just not done anymore. Well, all right, it had never been done, but....

“I mean, I knew you were looking for good chemistry, for something more than a quick fling, but I thought ... I didn't think you.... I....”

Jin was starting to look a little green. Hurrying around the table to his side, Jyou gently coaxed him into laying down. Had she thrown too much at the omega at once? But it wasn't in her nature to proceed with something without being completely honest about her objectives. More than once, Naoto had complained that she was a little _too_ honest, but she didn't know how else to be. 

~*~*~

Jin's brain was running crazed loops at warp speed, listing and re-listing all the ways things could go disastrously wrong and how completely screwed he would be if he let himself not just get knocked up, but _mated_ and knocked up. He would never be free of her, no matter what pretty things she said now. He would never be able to be just himself again, just Jin. He would be hers above anything and everything else, her omega, her pretty boy. And that dream of being a fashion model? Forget it. That dream would die the _moment_ she bit him. He had been more or less fine with the idea of having a kid, handing it over, and moving on with his life, hopefully with some extra money in his pocket. But what she was proposing was something else entirely.

And then there was the wild fact that they had only been on one date, really, and she was already not only offering to share his heat, but to full out _mate_ him. It was preposterous, ridiculous ... and such a stereotypical _alpha_ thing to do he could almost laugh. Only an alpha could be arrogant enough to think one date was enough to be deciding something like that. If his parents hadn't already disowned him....

He didn't remember laying down, but the feel of her fingers in his hair was enough to make Jin whimper softly. Madness. This was madness. She was talking again, but her words were little more than a buzzing in his ears. Could he really stop her? If she asked, would he really be able to refuse? Omegas didn't say no to alphas, that wasn't the way the world worked. Would she even ask? From what he'd heard, forced matings were treated as little more than civil disturbances these days. Perhaps a harsh scolding from a judge, a civil fine, maybe a slap on the wrist in the form of community service, and the matter was dismissed, the omega left with no further recourse unless the alpha turned physically abusive. In other words, no real deterrent to someone as rich and powerful as Jyou. She could bite him any time she wanted and what could he do about it? Nothing.

The sad irony was that she would probably have made the perfect sugar momma. If not for the looming threat of being mated, he could have, would have happily accepted being her sugar baby. But what she was proposing ... it was too much, too soon, he couldn't....

“Breathe, Akanishi-kun,” she murmured, her tone hitting just the right pitch to cut through his panicked thoughts and force compliance. Could he have miscalculated his next heat? He was having more of a reaction to her alpha-ness than he was used to, more than he'd ever had to any of his alpha customers back in his hosting days. Then again, the club owner had kept all his omega hosts on black market low dose suppressant pills year-round, supposedly for this very reason. He hadn't ever thought about it back then, chalking it up to alpha male paranoia, but now ... now he was beginning to wonder.

“You've certainly wound yourself up a bit. Here, drink some water and try to relax. I'm not even sure you've heard half of what I've said.”

Jin was pretty sure he hadn't, but he couldn't just _say_ that to her. Pushing himself to sit up, he carefully sipped the chilled water Jyou offered him. She wasn't doing anything particularly aggressive, maybe he was misreading the whole situation? His brother was always saying that Jin was terrible at reading the atmosphere of a room and it wasn't like he was wrong.

“Shall we try this again?” Jyou offered once Jin's heart had calmed back down to normal.

“Sorry, I ... my expectations from what you'd said last time ... and then two weeks of nothing.... And then you started talking about a mating bite and I....”

“Panicked and didn't really hear anything else?”

He could feel the shame burning in his cheeks, his eyes dropping to his hands. He really was an idiot, she was probably going to take it all back now. He might be able to offer her beautiful genes, but Jyou was obviously looking for a whole package, not just a pretty face. Someone in her position could afford to be picky and he was clearly lacking. Maybe they were right, maybe he was just another pretty face masking a useless idiot with nothing to offer anyone.

“Akanishi-kun.” Her fingers caught his chin, forced him to meet her eyes. “Stop. What are you afraid of? Rejection? I'm still right here.”

“For how long?” he mumbled, surprised at his own temerity. Or maybe it was the hopelessness of it all that was making him seem brave.

The press of lips to his was enough to send his thoughts crashing to a stop. She pressed a little more, demanding submission, and with a low whimper, he gladly gave it. He could feel himself practically melting, tingling where she touched him, and the first tendrils of a growing hunger.

And then she was pulling back, pressing their foreheads together instead.

“I think you may be off a couple days in your calculations,” she mumbled, her fingers teasing his skin. From the way his body was reacting to her, Jin was starting to suspect the same. “Where do you go for your shot? I can call a cab.”

“I'll take the train,” he mumbled, shaking his head.

“Not by yourself you're not. Not with the way you smell,” Jyou countered, standing and then pulling him up as well. If he went to his usual pharmacy with an alpha in tow ... nope, he wasn't going to risk it. He would rather deal with the hassle of changing trains to get out to Otsuka, at least Takamizawa-sensei wouldn't ask him why he wanted a heat suppressant or try to trick him with something else instead just because he was in the company of an alpha. He'd take annoying but safe over easy and risky any day.

~*~*~

Jyou was almost sad to hear they had caught Jin's symptoms in time that he only needed the usual advanced suppressant shot rather than a last minute heat dump. Which was selfish of her ... and more than a little arrogant, just assuming Jin would even want her around during his recovery. Reigning herself in, they were nearly all the way back to Otsuka Station when her indecision broke and she caught his arm, holding him back.

“Wait, I ... we never really talked things out. And I think you should at least meet Rupon before we go any further anyway, so ... join us for dinner tonight? Er, unless you have work or something.”

Jin's scent was so loud she could almost read his thoughts from that alone. She had to bite her lip to keep from grinning, waiting for him to actually say the words.

“It's kinda early, I really just ... want to go home and crash, you know?”

“You could crash at our place? At least then I'd know you were okay.”

“But ... why?” he sputtered, so obvious in his confusion it was almost too adorable.

“You really didn't absorb anything I said, did you?” she murmured, gently tugging him closer, taking advantage of his being slightly taller to lean into his chest. A smile caught at her lips as she realized a casual observer would just assume he was the alpha between them. “You're about to collapse in the street and you're wondering why I'd be worried? Come on, tough guy, let me take you home.”

She could taste Jin's intention to refuse, but she could also tell he wouldn't make it far alone. Walking him over to a bench, Jyou made him sit with one hand while she summoned a cab with the other. When the taxi pulled up next to them, Jin tried yet again to decline, but ten years of marriage had taught her a thing or three about dealing with male egos. It also helped that Jin was just about out of steam. As it was, she had to nudge him awake when they got to her building.

“W-where....”

“Told you, not letting you go home alone. Come on, though if you need to swap shifts with someone, you should probably do that now.”

A huff but no other protests as he followed her up to her apartment, trading texts with someone. She smiled a little as he made annoyed noises at his phone a few times before shoving it rather roughly into his back pocket.

“All good?” she asked as she let him into the apartment.

“Yeah, just ... not looking forward to seeing the boss tomorrow,” Jin mumbled. “Might be time to change bars again....”

Not wanting to make assumptions about what he meant, or ask prying questions when the omega was still more asleep than awake, she simply nodded and showed him the guest bedroom.

“Please, make yourself at home,” she said, leaning up to brush a kiss to his cheek. “If you need anything, just ask, okay?”

Jyou didn't believe for one moment that Jin would actually do that, but she'd had to make the offer. Maybe he would surprise her. And maybe monkeys would come flying out of the fireplace with bags of cash. Still, she had him here, it was a start. Things were, she hoped, moving in the right direction.

~*~*~

Jin felt ... well, there were a lot of things he was feeling. Conflicted. Confused. Aroused. Embarrassed as hell. Ruka was a good guy, surprisingly soft spoken for an alpha, to the point of coming across as a bit shy even, at least at first. By the end of dessert, Jin wasn't sure if Ruka had actually been flirting with him or not. On the other hand, he was _completely_ certain Jyou had been focusing extra attention on him, probably just to see how her husband would react. Which was, he supposed, fair enough, given her stated plans. But it still left Jin feeling awkward, caught up in something he wasn't sure he understood.

He hadn't been terribly surprised when Jyou had insisted on driving him home. Or when she had parked the car instead of just dropping him out front. And yet he couldn't seem to move.

“Aren't you going to invite me up?”

His cheeks flushed and he stammered, desperately trying to think of a way to say no without offending her. Judging by the frown that appeared on her face, though....

“Jin-kun....”

He could already hear his brother calling him ten kinds of idiot, but he couldn't help it. She was out of his league, it was ridiculous to think he stood a chance, so why make it even worse for himself?

“Jin-kun. Invite me upstairs.”

He hated how much the omega in him wanted to give in, to roll over and just bare his neck to her. He hated the little voice that kept pointing out how she was obviously well able to be a good provider, how easily she'd be able to take care of him. All he had to do was allow it, giver her the children she wanted and give up on his own dreams. It was silly for an omega to want anything else anyway.

Jin was so lost to his own downward-spiraling thoughts that he didn't even notice the hand massaging the back of his neck until lips pressed a kiss to his forehead.

“Jin, honey, if you really don't want what I'm offering, just say so. I think we have great chemistry and I'd like to see where things go, how things develop, but if you're not interested, it's fine. I'm not going to force you into anything, I'm not that kind of alpha.”

“D-don't call me that,” he mumbled, ducking his head even a she frowned at him. “Kaasan used to call me her honey bear until....”

“I'm sorry,” Jyou murmured as she pulled back. To his surprise, a low whine caught in his throat at the loss. She frowned a moment, then sighed and shook her head. “Right, this is not the time to be asking you such things, not with your hormones still out of balance....”

“... stay the night?”

Jin wanted to just die. Betrayed by his own omega nature.

“Are you sure that's what you want?” she asked gently.

“No,” he mumbled, shaking his head, “but ... maybe if you stayed anyway....”

“I can do that,” she agreed with a nod before getting out of the car. Once again he felt himself hesitating. Was he doing the right thing? Probably not, but clearly his hormones were running the show tonight.

Compared to her place, his apartment felt like an oversized closet. He couldn't even afford a separate bedroom, though he appreciated her calling it cozy instead of cramped. While she excused herself to use his bathroom, he shifted furniture and unrolled his futon.

“I ... I can take the couch,” he mumbled when she came back, but she shook her head, stepping in close to hug him again.

“You asked me to stay because of your hormones, ne? I don't mind. I won't even try to take advantage of you, promise,” she said softly, smiling for him. Jyou pressed a kiss to his burning cheek, then moved to sit on the edge of the futon. Jin felt shy and frozen, watching as she undressed down to nothing. He was more than a little startled by how boyish she looked without her clothes, with her narrow hips and small breasts, not at all like the alpha women he would see on TV.

“Aren't you coming?” she teased as she slipped between the sheets. Another blush and he hurried to turn off the light before undressing, though he stopped with his briefs still on, trying to keep some space between them in the futon. So of course Jyou would have none of that, the alpha silently spooning up behind him. And once again his omega instincts screamed at him to submit already, to just give himself to this alpha. It was almost enough to make him do it, but he couldn't shake the fear that giving up would destroy everything.

“Good night, Jin-dear,” she murmured against his shoulder. And that was all. He had never felt so confused in his life.

~*~*~

Jin woke to the feeling of fingers lightly tracing over his chest. Blearily, he blinked up to see Jyou propped up next to him, an intense look on her face. Had he done something wrong? But she didn't seem upset, per se, just ... intense. What could be so interesting about him? A quick glance down but no, nothing to be embarrassed about there, despite spending the night with a naked woman pressed against him. Unless ... but he didn't feel sticky, either, and surely he would have woken sooner if she had decided to do something about his morning wood.

“Are you always wound this tight or is it because of me?” she asked, chuckling and leaning in to kiss his cheek.

“There's a naked woman I hardly know in my bed, watching me sleep,” he mumbled, blushing again. “I think I'm allowed.”

“Well then, I guess we're just going to have to get to know each other better,” she said, grabbing her undies as she got up and padded over to his fridge. “What do you usually do for breakfast?”

“If I've been working the night before, I might not get up until almost noon. Unless I have an actual modeling job, but then I'll just grab an energy drink or a protein shake and go.”

“That is no kind of proper relationship with food, young man,” Jyou scolded, shaking her head even as she opened his fridge. Jin actually laughed at the disgusted noise she made at seeing the contents of said refrigerator. He hadn't been home enough to bother with proper groceries in ... awhile. It was probably mostly (if not entirely) beer, condiments, and eggs. And empty space.

“If this works, I'm going to have to insist you move in with us just so I can be sure you're actually eating proper food, aren't I?”

“I eat!” he protested, getting up so he could put away the futon. “I just can't cook much. If it can't be made in a rice cooker or microwave, it's beyond me. I'm okay with combini bento.”

“It's not like I'm surprised,” she replied, still obviously amused. “Rupon wasn't much better, even after we got married. I'd be gone for a week or two for business and come home to a fridge like yours. Come on, get dressed, I know just where to go for a real breakfast. After you loan me a shirt.”

“Not sure I have anything to fit you,” he confessed, gesturing to the make-shift closet he had made out of a corner of the living space. He couldn't take his eyes off of her, watching as she stood there, shameless in just a pair of panties. The thought of her wanting him was almost more than he could take. She could have anyone, why would she want someone like him?

“Keep staring at me like that and we may have to delay breakfast,” she said, glancing sidelong at him with a sly smile. Again he felt his face go hot. 

“Now how,” she said, surprising him with how quickly she was across the room again, “does a gorgeous male model like you have such a hard time grasping the idea that I find you attractive?”

“It's not the aesthetic part that's hard,” he said, shaking his head. “If it was just my body you wanted, well ... yeah. But it's not and that's the hard part to accept.”

Not that his disbelief was enough to stop him from curling arms around her when she stepped into him. Or keep him from kissing her, moaning softly at the feel of her pressing against him. He could feel her alpha cock twitching against his thigh and groaned, his own cock rousing at the undeniable proof of her interest. Sure, it could just be for his body, and sure, this could still be going nowhere fast, but.... How long since his last alpha? From the wetness building between his legs, too long.

“I think,” she murmured against his lips, hands sliding down the back of his boxers, “it's time you took these off, don't you?”

Jin knew he had no reason to be ashamed when it came to his body, and yet it was still difficult to bare himself completely to her. A soft chuckle from Jyou and she pushed his boxers down his hips herself, letting them fall to the floor even as she reached up to cup his face, kissing him again. Well, if she could do that.... He hooked fingers into her panties, pulling them down as well.

“Guess I was too quick putting away the futon,” he mumbled, another spike of embarrassment jolting through him.

“Something wrong with the couch?” she countered, nipping at his throat. He groaned again as he shook his head, pulling her down with him until she was in his lap. Although the positively wicked little grin she gave him as their bodies pressed together....

“I can smell how wet you are,” she said, brushing kisses and nibbles along his collarbone. “Are you sure this is really the way you want me?”

Was she actually offering...? Just the thought of being allowed to feel her like that was enough to make him rock hard. An alpha letting herself be fucked by an omega was so subversive, dirty and uncouth and _gods_ did he want it. A low laugh and she was actually doing it, wet heat sliding down around his cock. She didn't _feel_ that different from any of the other women he'd slept with in the past, and yet knowing she was an alpha....

“Oh Jin, baby, you feel so good,” she purred, her hips starting a slow rise and fall. It was hard to keep still as he watched her riding him, more than a little hard to believe _he_ was the reason for her blissful expression. Jin knew he was a little bigger than most omegas, but that was nothing compared to an alpha like her husband!

“Bigger isn't always better, baby,” Jyou murmured, following his thoughts almost too easily. She started to ride him harder, faster, obviously focused on her own pleasure, but oh did she feel amazing doing it. He slipped a hand between them, fingers curling around her cock in slow strokes. He rubbed his thumb over the head and she went stiff, shuddering as she coated his cock with her juices. And then she was slumping against him, breathing hard against his neck.

“Sorry,” she said after a moment. “Gimme a minute and I'll....”

“Don't apologize,” he said, still feeling it, the little aftershocks every time either of them moved. Nothing between them, just skin to skin, an intimate connection he hadn't ever shared with anyone before.

And then his eyes went wide, panic shooting through him in a bolt. Nothing between them. No condom of either sort. He was clean, he kept very close track of that, but _she_ didn't know that, they hadn't discussed it. And okay, the chances of getting a woman pregnant outside of a heat were astronomical, but it wasn't impossible. He hadn't cum yet, but even an omega's pre-ejaculate could have some sperm in it. He could be getting her pregnant at that very moment!

“Jin!” She grabbed his face with both hands, forcing him to meet her eyes. Jyou was completely calm, from her eyes to her scent.

“Yes, good, relax. That's it, deep breaths. Gods you panic easy,” she murmured, stroking his cheek with her long fingers. “It's okay, I did this, remember? And I love it. Your scent's clean and if it were _that_ easy to get me pregnant.... If it makes you feel better, we can use a condom next time, but I think I'd really rather not. If you're okay with that, I mean.”

Next time? She wanted to do this again?

“Gods, you're ... yes, baby, next time,” she purred, sliding arms around his neck as she settled even more. “I want a relationship with you, I want us to have sex outside your heats, I want _our_ sex life to be about more than just getting you pregnant. I love the way we fit together.”

Jyou rolled her hips then, as if to accentuate her point that they were still joined, that he was still buried deep within the wet heat of her womanhood.

“I love my husband, but what I have with him is not and never will be the same as what I have with you. If you're still willing to be a part of my life, that is.”

It was completely outrageous that an alpha woman as aggressive as Jyou could look so shy while still fully seated on his cock. Jin hesitated for a moment, not sure he was being all that clear-headed, then pulled her into a heated kiss. He might regret it later, but....

“I'll be yours for as long as you'll have me.”

Jin had half expected her to get up, order him to turn around, and bite him immediately. Instead she did none of those things, the joyful noise she made sounding almost girlish as she clapped and then hugged him tightly.

“Thank you,” she mumbled between kisses all over his face. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Only then did she climb off of him, but before he could do more than think about moving, she was pushing his knees apart and settling between them. Jin could feel his eyes threatening to pop out of their sockets at the sight - never mind the _feel_ \- of an alpha going down on him. He felt as if his whole body had become sensitized to her, twitching a little as Jyou tongued his cock while sliding two fingers into his aching hole, curling them just so. It was both too much and not enough, a whine catching in his throat. His own fingers clenched in her short hair as he held her down on him, his orgasm tearing through him to shoot down her throat. A moment later he unclenched, whining as he collapsed forward against her. Apologies tripped over each other as he desperately tried to make things right. Jyou laughed, tucking arms around him again as she moved to curl up with him on the couch.

“Jin, baby, it's okay,” she cooed, petting his hair.

“No, it's not,” he whimpered. “You just ... and I ... and you ... and I wanted your knot inside me!”

“Oh baby,” she soothed, “I promise, you will have plenty of chances, even between now and your next heat, to feel me knotting you. After all, I only have six months to learn what you like best.

Jin could feel himself blushing again as he leaned into her arms a bit more. Six months was a long time, he had no doubt she would be an excellent partner by the time his next heat came.

**Author's Note:**

> I promised Hamu I'd tell her, so here it goes. Yoshiki was originally supposed to mate Jyou in a rare alpha-alpha power couple for SMOS. He got greedy, Ruka swept in behind his back and reclaimed Jyou for himself (I've had a thing for pairing the two of them for...awhile), things got heated then settled out with Yoshiki married to Naoto. And now you know~ ;)


End file.
